http://interiordesignbusiness.net Sales and Marketing insights to help interior design professionals dramatically increase profits Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:22:50 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A high number of suppliers provide low resolution website images. That's the complaint I often hear from interior designers seeking top quality images to include in their proposals. Designers lament that fact that, on too many manufacturers' sites, too many images are too grainy and too small. The result, the designers say: they ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/10/05/give-these-suppliers-an-a-for-images/ Visitors to your website don't care about your "philosophy." They could care less about you "vision" or your "passion." They care only about what you can do for them. I've yet to read an "Our Philosophy" section of a website that makes any sense. It's always long on words, and short on significance. So ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/29/website-philosophy-is-foolish/ Having a tougher time these days lining up full service projects? You're not alone. Design professionals across the U.S. and Canada tell me they're finding  fewer opportunities nowadays to design the whole house or the entire office building. Those who do land these larger projects often begin by simply advising clients about them. They begin ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/26/get-big-by-starting-small-as-a-consultant/ David Shepherd shared three ideas at the Business of Design Conference earlier this month that have really stuck with me. Shepherd is president of DPI (www.designingprofits.com),  the company which produces financial conferences for interior designers and runs a best practices network for 100 premier firms nationwide. His observations: 1/ No one will ever dictate ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/23/the-design-industry-as-david-shepherd-sees-it/ What one skill can you easily learn NOW to boost your business and career? And help you double your income? And get you the recognition you want and deserve? It's not an interior design skill. It's a personal marketing skill. It's self promotion. It's the ability to sell yourself as effectively as your design services and ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/19/sell-yourself-tele-seminar-set-for-oct-7/ They're the questions you hate to hear, but too often do. The ones you're never sure how to answer. Questions like: "Why are you so expensive?" Or: "Can you give us a better price?" Or: "Why is this project taking so long?" Failing to come up with right answers to the wrong questions may ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/18/coping-with-the-questions-from-hell/ Is your website a help or a hindrance? Is it qualifying you -- or disqualifying you -- from the caliber of clients and projects that you desire? The average visit to a website is four seconds and two clicks. Do visitors "get" how special you are in that amount of time? Fifty per ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/15/website-woes/ There’s no easier way to increase income than to raise your rates. And there’s no easier way to announce a rate increase than in a letter. Charging higher fees was one of five strategies I discussed last week in my presentation in Las Vegas on how to double your income by the ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/10/rate-hike-letters-take-the-pain-out-of-pricing/ Time was when your reputation, alone, could assure your future prosperity. Times have changed. This is a time with more gifted, extensively educated, widely acclaimed, multi talented, highly qualified, award winning design professionals than ever before. With that kind of competition, it takes more than your skills to meet your financial and other ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/09/big-thinking-yields-big-rewards/ Congratulations to Victoria Sanchez of Alexandria, VA. for being the first one to correctly solve last week's brainteaser. Her's was the first email I received that pointed out that  the phrase The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog uses every letter of the alphabet. Her prize: a free copy of ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/09/02/and-the-winner-is/ There’s no better time than now to abandon habits that hinder more than help you. Want to be more profitable? Then STOP… + selling only “stuff.” Clients can get nice window treatments elsewhere, but they can’t get you elsewhere. Promote your service and yourself. The most important sale you’ll ever make is ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/29/halt-habits-that-hinder-you/ Don't just give your best prospects a call. Give 'em a page. One of the best ways to enhance your website -- and your business -- is to create a resource page on your site for your target market. One of my coaching clients is glad we created a Realtor Resource Page on ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/28/a-website-resource-page-can-work-wonders/ What would it take to substantially increase your sales and profits by the end of the year? Those of you attending the Sept. 3-5 Business of Design Conference in Las Vegas can find out how in my Double Your Sales! program that's just been added to the agenda on Friday, Sept. 5. This ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/27/double-your-sales-program-added-to-las-vegas-conference/ Win a prize worth $25 if you're the first to tell me what's significant about this sentence: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/25/monday-morning-brainteaser/ The "G" word surfaced repeatedly this week in my coaching calls with design professionals. I asked each  to share  his or her financial goal. An East Coast interior designer said that the economy has jeopardized her chances of reaching her original 2008 goal of $800,000 in net profit. "There's only four months left in the year," ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/22/finish-with-a-flourish-2008-can-still-be-great/ $62,455. That's the median income for U.S. interior designers with 20 or more years experience, according to a survey by Payscale, Inc., the world's largest database of compensation data. Those in the design business for 10-19 years have a median income of $52,671, Payscale reports. For 5-9 years experience, the number is $46,893. Meanwhile, ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/20/survey-saysdesigner-pay-isnt-ok/ One person may be holding you back from doubling your income as a design professional. That person isn't a competitor or a customer. That person is you. Design professionals can be -- and too often are -- their own worst enemies. At my seminars in recent months I met four ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/19/self-doubt-and-how-to-overcome-it/ "I want to talk it over with my husband." How many times have you heard that line? How many times have you considered it a deal-killer, a sure sign that the prospect could care less about buying your design services or products? And how many times, then, have you failed to follow up? A ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/10/follow-up-or-fail/ Get outta town. If the economy has you down, if you're severely challenged by your design business , if you're burnt out, get outta town. If you're uncertain where to go from here, go there. "There" can be a mountain resort, or a sandy beach, or a nice town a few hours away. Get ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/08/09/time-away-is-time-well-spent/ OK, maybe an appearance on HGTV isn't on your agenda. But a local TV interview may be. Some things to consider before the cameras roll: + Dress the part. Medium shades of gray, blues and browns look best on screen. Avoid wearing anything too dark or too light. + Keep it simple. Avoid ... http://interiordesignbusiness.net/2008/07/22/tv-tips-how-not-to-be-a-boob-on-the-tube/